It seems like every time I'm on here there's nothing but the same housing questions so here's some advice and resources.
When should I start looking for housing for ___ school year?
Immediately! Housing in Boone is famously hard to find these days. Most places will fill up by March before the following fall semester. You will be left with the leftovers if you do not get onto a list before then. Places to avoid if possible: The Cottages This is a party area. It is constantly covered in trash. Terrible management. The Standard I haven't lived here but I've heard it's ridiculously overpriced.
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Tips for this
* Accept that you will probably not get a perfect situation no matter what. Most every renting company in Boone is looking to screw you. Try and get lucky.
* Call the apartment complex even if the website says they're full. They will probably be able to tell you if there is someone looking for a sublease, or they will get you on a list for the following year. This is how I managed to get a Skyline Terrace apt. I called in August of the previous year and got on a list for the next year.
* Look at the App State housing website. Here . This is not always the most helpful but it's a good place to start.
* When you do decide on a place, keep watch for hidden costs. Most places don't love to advertise when a utility isn't included. For example, I, in a 1 bed 1 bath, pay about 170$ a month in utilities. 80$ for electric, 50$ for water and 40$ for optional faster internet. So even though my rent is technically 940$, in order to actually use my apt it's about 1110$.
* ALWAYS TOUR THE APT FIRST. I didn't do this during the covid year and got stuck in an ADA 3 bed 2 bath instead of the 3 bed 3 bath that I was paying for. The housing company told me tough luck.
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I need a roommate / I need to sublease my apartment / I need to pick up a sublease
This is a bit easier. Since everyone is so hungry for housing, finding a roommate / sublease is fairly painless.
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Tips for this
* Same as above, call the apt complex you want to live in and ask if they have available subleases. Most apt complexes also have a roommate matching service that you can use. You may end up with people you don't like (ask me how I know) so use with caution.
* Use the Appalachian Classifieds. This is the most common piece of advice on housing threads here. It is the largest classifieds group for the Boone area. It is on Facebook and you will need to be approved before you can see anything. I think it has a fairly high success rate. Also easy to get cheap furniture on there if you need it. Link HERE Be sure to put "through reddit housing post" as how you heard about the group. This helps the moderation process, per u/Cammdoser.
* If you are going to pick up a sublease, make sure to ask if its going to be renewable. I saw a girl on the classifieds trying to sublease her apartment for just the month of July. The person who picks that up will move in July first and need to be out July 31st. Not ideal, don't get stuck in that situation on accident.
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When do I get my room number and roommate?
For most places, on and off campus, you'll get this in July before the semester starts. Sometimes you won't for off campus. I've had times where I didn't meet my roommates until move in day.
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Moving in
This is always hectic. There will normally be 100 other people moving in or out on these days so be prepared.
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Tips for this
* From /u/klylet, DAY OF MOVE IN AND MOVE OUT: take detailed pictures and videos of damage and immediately ask where to send/share them with the rental company. Make sure they can be dated, preferably on the photo itself. Do this before you move furniture in, and after you move furniture out and clean. They WILL charge you for damages that were there before you got there, and won't care if it was there unless you specifically report it. When you move in, if there is carpet, put white socks on and shuffle across the carpet. If you see black specks that looks that pepper, those are flea eggs. Call the apartment and require carpet cleaning / replacement and a terminator company to come. If you do not report within 30 days, they will likely not cover the cost and blame you for it.
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I think this covers most things, if anyone else has any other great tips, this is the place to put them. The mods told me this would be pinned so it should stay up for a while for people to see.